


Curses

by Oyennui



Category: The Folk of the Air - Holly Black
Genre: Angst, Book 1: The Cruel Prince, F/M, Post-Book 2: The Wicked King, Spoilers, the wicked king
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-10-30 21:16:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17836358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oyennui/pseuds/Oyennui
Summary: -SPOILERS FOR THE WICKED KING-Vivi encourages Jude to accept that her punishment might last longer than she is planning. If Jude must live in the mortal world, what will she do with the rest of her life? Vivi takes matters into her own hands to help her youngest sister adjust.This will probably be long. And slow. And the rating will probably go up.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written a fic in years but something about this pair has made me. I can't get enough of them and the thought of a whole year of waiting is really bumming me out, man. 
> 
> I'm posting without editing so CC is welcome!

I’m confused when I first see the letter addressed to myself sitting among bills and magazines for my sister and her ex. I have never received anything in the mail, not even junk, but here on the table is a large packet addressed to me at my sister’s address. I run my fingers over the embossed seal on the top corner. Three gold lines forming a pillar with a tear through them. Figures, my first ever letter and I don’t even get to open it.

“Vivi,” I yell into the kitchen where the sound of cooking echoes, “what’s this?”

“What’s what, Jude?”

I grab the letter and walk towards the smell of food. “What is this that came in the mail for me?”

Vivi pauses at the stove, spoon still resting in the pan, to look over at me. She doesn’t seem surprised to see the cream-colored envelope in my hand. “It’s an acceptance letter for school. Surprise, you were accepted.”

I scowl and pull the contents of the package out to make a small pile of paper on the counter. On top is indeed an acceptance letter with my name on it, as well as a thin magazine and several pamphlets with smiling, overly happy people on the front.

“Why am I getting an acceptance letter in the mail?” I turn back to my eldest sister, but her attention is already back to the stove and the process of sliding scrambled eggs onto three plates. “Vivi!” My tone is sharp, but she pays me no mind and instead hands me a plate and walks to the dining room table with the other two in her hands. I follow on her heels.  

“Oak, the food is ready. Do you want milk or juice?” Vivi yells down the short hall while moving the stack of mail and setting her plates down before turning back to our kitchen. The sound of the small TV in Oak’s room stops, and he yells back for milk, please, as he skips into the room taking his place at the table. She returns with a glass of milk for him and two mugs for us; rich, delicious smelling coffee for me, herbal tea for herself. I stare over the rim of my mug as we sit, attempting to prompt her to answer my question. There’s obviously something she’s reluctant to tell me and I don’t intend to let her off the hook. “Well?”

Oak looks between us and back to his plate, more interested in his eggs than our conversation. Vivi talks between bites, sounding just as disinterested as Oak. “Well, if they’re sending you an acceptance letter then that means they want you to go to their university.” I keep my gaze level on her face as I take a sip of coffee. She knows that’s not the answer I was looking for and continues with a sigh. “I applied for you when you first got here. I thought you might be interested eventually. And it’s a good thing I did, since getting a job doesn’t appear to be at the top of your list of stuff to do.”  

I set my mug down and begin moving the food on my plate around with my fork. “I won’t be here long enough to go to school, Vivi.” The words sound hollow even to my own ears.

She hesitates before replying gently, “Jude, it’s been months already. Maybe you’ll get a pardon tomorrow, maybe next week, but what if you don’t? You should start making plans in case that happens.”

She’s right, of course, I know that. When I first knocked on her door early this year I was confident that I’d return home in a few days. I refused her offer to go shopping for more weather appropriate clothing despite only having the clothes I had been wearing when I left the warm weather of Elfhame. I was so arrogant, thinking he’d change his mind and come for me. That he only needed a few days to settle matters with the Undersea and then he’d knock on Vivi’s door like I had. I even thought that I’d leave him on the front steps for a few extra minutes, standing in the snow and a cutting breeze making him regret banishing me here.

After the first week I asked Vivi to drive me to the mall for at least a coat. After two week she was over me borrowing her clothes and we went back again, this time getting enough to last me through winter. It had felt like giving up. Like admitting that Cardan wouldn’t be changing his mind.

Cardan. I scoff into my mug. I’m probably that last person he’s thinking about. He probably hasn’t thought about me since the moment my feet left Faerie. And why should he? I thought we could kind of trust each other but he obviously loathed me. The only reason he got close to me was so I would let him under my skin, let him in just enough so he could find a way to be rid of me for good. I imagine him sitting on his throne, beautiful fey women draped over his lap and at his feet, drunk and drugged and delighting in his freedom. I thought I’d rule at his side, the Queen of Elfhame, but he was only thinking of ways to make me disappear. I can’t believe he tricked me.

Yes, Vivi is right, I should at least do something with my time in the mortal world. Give myself something to do other than plan my revenge and eat junk food in front of the TV with Oak. I was out of ideas right now anyway. If pardoning myself wouldn’t allow me entrance back in to Elfhame what other hope do I have?

I reply after the few moments of thinking it over. “Okay. I’ll go. What do I have to do?”

Vivi looks surprised. She probably expected me to argue, or at least for me to be upset at her for saying I might be here forever.

“Well, I’ve never been to college, but… I’ve been told about it.” She pauses with a look on her face that makes me believe it was Heather who told her. “You pick out classes you want and then you go to them.”

Informative. “Okay, when do I do that?”

She shrugs, “I don’t know, maybe read the letter?”

 

* * *

 

After the dishes are done and I take Oak to the bus stop for school, I grab Vivi’s laptop and sit on the couch. It’s taken me a few weeks and a lot of help from my sister to finally understand the sleek, silver electronic. After the first lesson Vivi made icons just for me and I click on the one labelled “INTERNET!!!”. I type the name of the school from the envelope and click on the first link that shows up. I read as much as I can about the school, courses, and try to resign myself to being interested.

I’m still sitting on the couch with her computer hours later when Vivi gets home. She’s holding several shopping bags and after slipping off her shoes she drops onto the couch with the bags between us. I close the computer and set it on the coffee table as Vivi begins to dig through her purchases. Or as close to purchases as they can be for a fey who uses glamoured leaves as currency.

“You really went crazy, this time, didn’t you? What is it? Shoes, books?” I inquire, hoping it’s something useful and normal this time.

She begins setting boxes in front of me and I recognize a picture of a computer just like hers on the front of one. I grab the white box and turn it over, looking back to her.

“Since you decided to go to school, you’re going to need a few things.” She gestures to the box I’m holding. “You’ll need your own laptop for notes and homework, and I got you your own phone so you can call me if you need to.” She begins to open a smaller box, removing the phone and turning it on before touching the screen. “I saved my number for you.” I thank her while taking the phone and charger from her outstretched hand.

We set up my new computer while talking about what I learned. I tell her about the classes I’m interested in and that school begins in September. The date is so far away it could be years instead of months, but at least I have plenty of time to prepare. There is some kind of meet and greet for registration in two weeks for students that have been accepted. I decline Vivi’s offer to go with me. If I’m going to accept living in the mortal world, I want to be able to do these things on my own. I agree to let her give me a ride to the campus that day. Even though it’s within walking distance Vivi offers with so much enthusiasm that I can’t bring myself to say no.

I lean over to hug my sister and offer her my thanks again. I’m not accustomed to someone showing me so much kindness, but Vivi has done her best to show that she cares. I haven’t made my misery a secret these past months. I’ve thrown things, yelled, and on one occasion, broke down crying. But Vivi has done her best to comfort me and scheme with me, and comfort me again when my plans fail.

 

The despair hits me while I put on my coat and boots to fetch Oak from the bus stop. I can’t go back and no one is coming for me. No letters, no visits. I am abandoned. I am giving up.

 

My mood darkens as I reach for the doorknob and step outside.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

A little bell above the door chimes as I enter that café, alerting the woman working the register of my presence. She smiles and I wave to her as I walk to my regular table by the window and begin to pull books and papers from my bag.

I’ve been coming here almost every day for the last several months, starting after I registered for classes at school where I ran into the waitress currently preparing my coffee behind the counter. I haven’t told Vivi yet that Heather is going to the same school as I am. I assume she already knows seeing as she’s the one who applied for me. I admit it’s a very clever plan by Vivi. Since returning from Faerie Heather has refused to talk to my sister but was elated to see me. I was just as excited to see her. Even if Heather had only been to Faerie briefly, she was still another mortal who knew of my home and of the fey. I graciously accepted her invitation to meet her at work after orientation to talk. She had been on her way to the small café near campus when she spotted me in the crowd.

Since then I’ve begun to look forward to spending Heather’s break with her over a cup of the most delicious coffee I have ever had. If she ever tired of being an artist, Heather really had a career ahead of her as a barista. She laughed when I told her as much, assuring me that she would be proud to just have coffee as a hobby in the future.     

Today Heather had promised to help me review some of the prerequisites I needed for school. Of course, Vivi had taken the liberty of forging my transcript so I appeared to be a perfect, just slightly under 4.0 student, but I still wanted to be prepared. I have never attended school in the mortal world, but it couldn’t be much different than the classes I attended before and I want to be able to answer questions that are asked. With Heather’s help I feel ready for my first, real, mortal experience.

I open a book on statistics while waiting for Heather to finish our drinks and go on break. Even though I decided to major in something called Exercise Science, Heather assured me I still had to take this class, and a few others, that were completely unrelated. This is very unrelated to working out, I think to myself as I flip through the pages. When Vivi first pointed out the program in the catalogue it sounded like something I could do easily. These additional subjects definitely surprised me, and I have Heather to thank for my quick education. I enjoy learning but I certainly wouldn’t have been able to catch up without her help.

A cup and saucer appear on the table next my book and I look up to thank Heather for the drink. “No prob”, she tells me. A lot of things are “no prob” with Heather.

“What are we learning today?” She lifts the cover of my book and cringes. “Statistic. I remember when I took that class. Boring!”

“It’s not that bad so far. I’ve read the first six chapters and it makes sense.”

She looks relieved. “Good, then we won’t have to actually do any learning, just reviewing.”

I take a sip of my coffee. It’s still too hot to really be drinking but I do so anyway, not able to resist the temptation even if it means my tongue gets burnt. We settle into our familiar routine of her asking me questions and me answering as quickly as I can. I get the majority right and begin to feel a little smug.

With only a few minutes left on her break Heather closes my book and declares me ready, at least with statistics.

“What about the other thing?” She continues. “Do you feel ready to try more human things?” She doesn’t ask harshly, but still her question quiets me.

When we first started to meet Heather had opened up about her lingering feelings regarding her trip to Faerie, and I in turn had told her about my captivity and banishment. Heather feels trustworthy, but I still haven’t told her everything. To be betrayed you must first give someone your trust, and I’ve learned the hard way, several times over, why doing that is a bad idea. If she suspects I’ve left out any details she’s never mentioned it. Instead she’s helped me prepare for the inevitable fact that this is my home now by encouraging me to meet new people and see new things.

“Maybe.” I answer after a too long amount of time. “I took Oak to the theatre like you suggested.”

“Have you met anyone new? Maybe at the book club?”

She looks so hopeful I don’t want to let her down. “I didn’t go to the meeting. I wasn’t really feeling up to it, besides, I’ve been studying so much I didn’t even read the book.”

“That’s not the point! I told you to go so you could meet new people. It’s the perfect place to get to know someone, they hardly even talk about the book.”

That’s funny, last week when she leant me her copy she told me several times to make sure to read it before the weekend. She doesn’t look disappointed, though. I’ve avoided almost all human interaction these past months and she was probably expecting my answer.   

“How about you meet someone new today?” She smiles coyly while leaning closer and lowers her voice. “Don’t be obvious, but that guy behind you has been watching you since you sat down.”

I scowl back at her.

“Fine! Take your time.” She seems amused at my reaction to her teasing. “I’m sure when you’re ready to meet new people there will be a cute boy”, she pauses, “or girl making eyes at you. There always is.” She laughs and rises with our empty cups. “Will you be back tomorrow?”

I grab my books and begin putting them away in my bag, “Yeah, if that’s okay with you.”

“Of course. I enjoy our study sessions. How about grammar tomorrow?”

“Sure thing.” I zip up my bag at throw the strap over my shoulder. “Thanks again, Heather. See you tomorrow.”

“No prob, Jude.” I smile at her back as she walks towards the counter. I turn to leave, glancing around the room subtlety. Yeah, I’m mildly curious about the boy Heather mentioned. She did say cute.

 The café is not full but plenty of the tables are occupied. It wouldn’t matter if there were ten times the amount of people here, I’d know exactly who Heather had seen, because now I’m staring at him.

Sitting alone at the farthest table in the back is a tawny-haired familiar face. He doesn’t smile or wave when our eyes meet, instead he gestures to the empty chair across from him.

 

I can feel the rage building inside of me as I stride toward the table. When I’m close enough I slam my hands on the table in front of The Ghost. My words are like poison, quiet and deadly and full of malice. “How dare you come here.”  

 

He doesn’t seem surprised. He was probably expecting my reaction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, aaah. Stuff is happening!! I have another chapter in the works and will hopefully have it up in the next few days. Thank you for all the comments and kudos! I really appreciate it.


	3. Chapter 3

Like hell I was going to talk to this man in Heather’s café. I’m not one hundred percent sure that this encounter will end with both of us breathing. Letting him stay there, speaking about incriminating details of my life while Heather gives me thumbs up behind his back, is dangerous. _He’s dangerous._ I remind myself again as I lead him towards a wooded area of the nearby park. It’s times like this that I’m glad I never got over my habit of carrying a blade. But even the weight of the folded blade in my pocket is just a small comfort around The Ghost. I would prefer to have a sword, but Vivi had balked at the idea of me carrying one around and insisted I get a pocket knife.

Gods, I had been tempted to pull it from my pocket the moment I saw him sitting there, a ghost from my past, a curse whose actions ultimately lead to my captivity and eventual banishment. He’s here for a reason, though, and I’d like to hear what that is before I make my decision to kill him. I have no doubt that if he wanted me dead he would’ve picked a different time and place than a coffee shop in the middle of the day. That must mean the reason is important.

I stop when we’re sufficiently concealed in the trees, keeping my hand in my pocket, ready to defend myself if necessary.

“You won’t be needing your weapon, I’m not here to fight you.”

My composure slips for a moment and I snap back at him. “Maybe I’m here for a fight. Did you at any point stop to think I’ve led you some place private to kill you?”

My threats don’t shake his steadfast composure at all. “You can certainly attempt to kill me but then you will have lost your opportunity to ask why I’m here.”

I hate that he can see my intentions so plainly. But then again, he’s the most perceptive person I know.

“Fine,” I reply, “Tell me why you’re here and then I’ll decide if I should kill you.”

The Ghost raises his eyebrows, he might even be smiling a tiny bit. “It’s funny that you should say that. I actually came for either one of two reasons.” He raises his hand and counts on his fingers, “One, to kill you, or two, to enlist you. I was to follow you to collect enough information to choose between those options. If you’re not aware yet I’ve decided to recruit you.”  

“The fuck you are.” I’m so incensed at his audacity that it takes me a moment to process the first part of his statement. “How fucking long have you been following me? What could you possibly be trying to learn? What my favorite take out food is? What movies I’ve been going--“, I stop. The last time I went to the theatre was with Oak. It was pretty recently too, if he’s been gathering information, he surely would’ve seen us there.

“I swear, if you’re sending information about my brother to someone, I’ll—”

“I’m not here for your brother. I’ve not even mentioned him in my reports. My assignment was to follow you and just you, since your banishment.”

I’m stunned. The whole time I’ve been here? I know I’ve left my defenses down, assuming the only ones who would bother to seek me out would be my former collogues in the Court of Shadows, but how did I not notice someone trailing me for months? I was wrong, I was so, so wrong to not be prepared. I should’ve known I was no safer here than I was at the palace.

A thousand questions race through my mind at once. I should ask why he’s trying to recruit me. I should ask who sent him and why they think I would join them. But I can’t yet.

“Why did you betray us?” The question has been weighing heavily on my mind and heart since I had last seen him at the Tower of Forgetting. I have to know his answer first.

The Ghost leans against the tree behind him and folds his arms casually. “To betray someone, you must first give them your allegiance. I had never sworn an oath of fealty to you or to anyone presently in the Court for that matter. Did I trick you?” He asks, like he’s not twisting the situation to suit him. “Yes. Did I betray you? No. Not technically.”

I step towards him, to hit him, or shove him further into that tree, I’m not really sure, but I can’t. Deep down I’m actually kind of hurt. “That’s fucking bull shit and you know it. I- We trusted you. You made us believe you were on our side.”

“But, alas, you never asked. I would’ve told you the truth if you asked.”

“Then who do you work for? Is it Orlagh? Is that why you kidnapped me?”

He tilts his head up against the tree before answering. “It’s complicated.”

“That’s not an answer. How do you expect me to trust you if you dance around my questions like this?” Talking with him like this is exhausting. Was he always like this and I just never noticed?

“I’m not actually asking you to trust me. I’m asking you to join us, or decline, and I’ll have to pursue the other option.”

He’s actually telling me to join us or die. If I was in a better mood I might even find that funny. “Can it be neither of those options? I’m nothing to whomever it is you work for. I can’t go back to Elfhame. Trust me, I tried. Can’t you just leave me alone?”

“That’s not one of the options, I’m afraid.”

I take my knife from my pocket, ready to flip the blade from the handle. “If you try to kill me, I’ll fight back. Don’t be so certain you’ll win.”

He shrugs off the tree while eyeing my knife. “I never thought that you would just let me take your life without a fight, even if being in the Mortal world has made you soft. But if we do fight again it will not be with that”, he gestures to my pocket knife dismissingly. “The last we dueled it was with swords and I’d like to redeem myself.”

“I don’t have a sword on me, but don’t worry, I can kill you with this.” I trigger the spring on my knife and the blade is released. The ghost raises his palms to me.

“Take some time to consider my offer. Ideally you change your mind.”

I scoff, “That’s not likely to happen. And why would I choose to have you continue to stalk me in the meantime when I could end this now?”

 “Regardless, you should still take some time to consider your options. If it assuages your worry I’ve already learned what I needed to know, there is no need for me to continue surveillance.”

“What did you need to know?” I don’t hide my curiosity. I probably should’ve.

The Ghost is already walking away from me, totally confident that I won’t run up behind him and stab him in the back but stops and turns particularly back in my direction.

“I needed to make sure that your banishment was real. That it wasn’t a grand scheme.”

His response is not what I was expecting, and again his words wound me. “How do you know it’s not?”

He begins to walk away again. “You wouldn’t be here still if it were.” The Ghost waves his hand above his head before he’s completely out of sight.  “Take care, Jude. I’ll see you soon.”

 

On the way home I try to recall everything that just happened and everything that The Ghost had said. Should I even waste the time considering his offer? If I don’t I will most certainly have to fight him for my life and, if I’m honest with myself, I’m not confident I would be the victor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys again for the kudos and comments. They mean the world <3


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